Pictures from the Fair Trade Fortnight 2011!

For the third consecutive year, Fair Trade Lebanon celebrates the Fair Trade Fortnight

From May 14th until the 29th, Fair Trade Lebanon (FTL) is celebrating the Fair Trade Fortnight in Lebanon. This event of international scope, aims to inform, educate and mobilize the public around Fair Trade as an alternative consumption model that respects people and the environment.

The Fortnight celebration revolves around the World Fair Trade Day, designated on May 14th, 2011. This important date is organized in partnership of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), which gathers over 400 fair trade actors from 73 countries and of which FTL is a member since September 2010. The theme for the 2011 edition is "Trade for people: Fair Trade your world.”

Fair Trade Lebanon joins the event: During these fifteen days of campaign, FTL has mobilized more than ten renowned restaurants that have committed to serving fair trade products in their menus as well as communicating about this theme.

This effort to raise awareness for Fair Trade is supported by the French Embassy in Lebanon.

Restaurants celebrating the Fair Trade Fortnight in Lebanon

Fair Trade Lebanon is celebrating the Fair Trade Fortnight in Lebanon from the 14th until the 29th of May 2011...this big event is in partnership with local restaurants:

• Chez Paul 3 branches: Ghazir highway, Gouraud Street Gemmayzeh, ABC Ashrafieh
• La Mie Dorée CCF, Damascus Road, Mathaf, Tel: 01 42 02 17
• Lina’s Le Mall (Sin el Fil and Saida), ABC (Ashrafieh and Dbayeh), Jal el Dib, Kaslik
www.linalb.com
• Downtown Zeidan building, Kaslik, Tel: 09 222 211
• DT An Nahar building, Central Beirut District, Tel: 01 999 932
• Sô Quantum Tower, Ashrafieh, Tel : 01 336 644
• Soho Karagulla building, Central Beirut District, Tel : 01 999 938

This event supported by the French Embassy in Lebanon

Fair Trade Lebanon's video presented to the WFTO

The World Fair Trade Organization has asked all of its members and supporters to produce a 60 second video about their work, activities, producers or any other interesting topic related to fair trade...

The video we produced is about Walid, a young farmer from Deir el Ahmar, who has replaced his cannabis plants with vineyards...Enjoy his testimony...

May 14th: World Fair Trade Day 2011!

From May 14th until the 28th, Fair Trade Lebanon is celebrating the Fair Trade Fortnight in Lebanon. This event, of international dimension, revolves around the World Fair Trade Day on the 12th of May and aims to raise awareness for Fair Trade as an alternative trading system that respects people and the environment.

During our fifteen days of campaign, table mats about fair trade will be placed in 12 different restaurants which also agreed to include some of Fair Trade Lebanon’s products into their menus!

In addition to that, and to gather more people into this global celebration, FTL will hold a stand at the Garden Show Spring Festival taking place at the Hippodrome of Beirut from May 24th to 28th, from 4 to 10 PM.

Our aim is to let the voice of fair trade be heard and encourage people to support and join this dynamic by choosing to put the interest of our small producers above all.

This event is supported by the French Embassy in Lebanon.

How Fair Trade can be a remedy to agricultural challenges

In the 1960s, 50% of Lebanese lived in the countryside. In 2008, they only represented 13%. This reflects the reality of the country, rural regions and lands are abandoned, traditional skills are being lost and the economy is increasingly dependent on food import.
Fair Trade can be a way to revive the village, value the work of small producers and allow them to fight against rural exodus.

Video by Anne Ilcinkas
Music: Astrakhan Café Anouar Brahem

FTL is catering the screening of a great movie, join us!

Join Fair Trade Lebanon on March 31st at indyact for a joint event with TimeOut Beirut and Save Beirut Heritage; we will watch the extraordinary piece of witnessing that is: 'Beyrouth: Dialogue des Ruines' Dir. Bahij Hojeij. 1994. 50mins. French (no subtitles). Followed by a very special Q&A with the Director, soon after the release of his superb feature film, Chatti ya Dini.

Even if you don't speak French, it's completely worth it for the footage of the dynamiting of buildings in Downtown prior to their re-vamping by Solidere. It's also a moving meditation on the history of the city, its people and its future.

Refreshments will be provided by Fair Trade Lebanon. You can join the event here on Facebook.

Looking for chickpeas lentils and bulgur? We got them!

Dear bloggers, foodies and chefs!

These Mediterranean specialties are available in France, Germany and Canada.

Healthy and loaded with fibers, Bulgur, Lentils and chickpeas are great basis for any type of cuisine and dishes.

Make sure you try them!

To ask about the closest address to you, email me:

r.elchemali@fairtradelebanon.org

Roasted Cumin Chickpeas! so crunchy crunchy....

Great with BBQ, for nibbling with a fresh cocktail or on top of green salads!

Ingredients
•1 can chick peas (or boiled fresh chickpeas)
•2 Tbsp. olive oil
•1 tsp. turmeric
•1 tsp. cumin
•1/4 tsp. cardamom
•1 tsp. fresh oregano
•2 garlic cloves
•Dash of cayenne pepper
•Dash of Salt and pepper

Directions
•Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
•Drain chick peas and rinse well with cold water. Let sit for 15 minutes in a colander to drain.
•Toss beans with olive oil and all above ingredients (except fresh oregano).
•Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer; roast for 50 minutes or until browned.
•Serve warm with Parmesan Cheese and fresh oregano.

Note: You may also add a dash of paprika for a little spicy tasty!

A must try! enjoy it...!

Recipe from The Healthy Apple

Picture from The perfect pantry

Bulgur with Ginger and Orange Recipe!

Ingredients:
2 oranges
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 cup bulgur, rinsed
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/3 cup slivered almonds
2/3 cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

Directions:
1. Zest 1 orange; reserve the zest. Juice both oranges. If necessary, add enough water to the juice to measure 1 1/2 cups total.

2. Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bulgur and stir to coat. Add the orange juice, brown sugar and salt; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the bulgur is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 25 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, toast almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until light golden and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Add scallions, soy sauce and the reserved orange zest to the bulgur; mix gently and fluff with a fork. Serve sprinkled with the almonds.

Ingredient Note: Fiber-rich bulgur?whole-wheat kernels that are precooked, dried and cracked?is sold in natural-foods stores and large markets.

About this recipe:
Bulgur is ubiquitous in Middle Eastern cooking but also pairs deliciously with Asian seasonings. This simple side dish is perfect with beef, lamb or poultry. For variations, substitute toasted sesame seeds for the almonds, or carrot juice (it is surprisingly good and certainly nutritious) for orange juice.

Source: KitchenDaily.com

Red Lentil Dahl Recipe

This list of ingredients is long but much of it is spices. The stew actually comes together quite quickly.

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil or grape seed oil
2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tsp. black or yellow mustard seeds
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 ½ inches of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno chili, seeded, finely chopped
1 ½ tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
Pinch of chili powder
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 cups red lentils
2 cinnamon sticks (or 1, if large)
2 cups water
1 15-oz. can “light” coconut milk
Sea salt
Juice of 1 lemon
A bunch of mint, chopped
A bunch of cilantro, chopped

Instructions:
Heat just enough oil to coat the bottom of a large pan and add the mustard and cumin seeds. Be careful as they will begin to pop. Immediately add the onion, adjust the heat to medium, and cook until softened – about five minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, chili, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and chili powder and fry for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and fry the mixture for 1 minute.

Add the lentils and stir to coat them with the oil and spices. Add the cinnamon stick, water, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat so the dhal is at a simmer. Cover partially and cook, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom, until the lentils have partially lost their shape and are soft – about 15 minutes. Stir in more liquid as necessary for the consistency you want.

Remove the pot from the heat, season with sea salt and add the lemon juice to taste. At this point, you can allow the dhal to cool and then cover and refrigerate it overnight. When reheating on the stove, you will need to add more liquid as it will thicken as it sits.
About 10 minutes before serving, add the herbs. You will want them to cook down a bit but not so much that they lose their color.

Serve warm over basmati rice and with a raita if desired.

Bon Appetit!

Total Servings: 6
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
Calories: 455.9
Carbohydrates: 53.2 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Fat: 19.0 g
Saturated Fat: 15.1 g
Fiber: 26.0 g
Sodium: 100.7 mg
Protein: 22.3 g

By Dana Treat
Recipe from Foodily.com

Exposition Afkart : Decembre 2010

Fair Trade Lebanon expose ses produits issus du commerce équitable à Afkart, le salon de Noël des designers libanais au Biel à Beyrouth, du 14 au 20 décembre 2010. Les visiteurs à la recherche de cadeaux pour les fêtes ont pu découvrir -ou redécouvrir- les saveurs traditionnelles du terroir libanais.

A l'occasion, FTL leur propose en plus de sa gamme habituelle des coffrets cadeaux spéciaux, du vin rouge pour accompagner leur repas le soir du réveillon ou des croquants au sésame, cacahuètes ou noisettes pour satisfaire leurs petites faims. " Je suis passée hier et je suis revenue aujourd'hui avec mes parents pour leur montrer tous ces produits traditionnels", témoigne une passante, enthousiasmée par les confitures naturelles de FTL.

Les touristes sont également séduits par les sirops, mélasses, huiles d'olive et autres gourmandises du stand :" J'en achète pour ma famille", raconte une jeune américaine de passage au Liban. " Je veux leur faire découvrir toutes ces recettes de la gastronomie libanaise!"

Si chaque visiteur déguste avec ravissement les produits des coopératives de femmes et des petits producteurs locaux exposés, peu connaissent le commerce équitable et ses principes. " Il reste un grand travail de sensibilisation auprès du public à faire" rapporte Randa el Chemali, responsable marketing chez FTL, qui met un point d'honneur à expliquer à chaque client les valeurs de respect et de solidarité qui régissent le commerce équitable.

Texte et Vidéo par Anne Ilcinkas.

Join us from Dec 14th until 20th at BIEL !

Oh we know you miss us...!!

Come and share the fun at the AFKART Christmas Exhibition held at BIEL (Hall 3) from Dec 14th until the 20th

- Everyday from 4:00 till 10:00 PM -

Fair Trade Lebanon will be selling Christmas and Wine Packages !

Make sure you are there for our wine tasting

Merry Christmas Everyone...See you there :) we'll be at the Food Court